Central Florida-based commercial and editorial food photographer Suzanne Clements appreciates the attention to detail and problem-solving involved in the creation of an impactful campaign. Suzanne has been collaborating with the owner and founder of Moinkbox, a humanely raised and ethically sourced meat subscription box, to create a Moink-ed magazine that highlights the company and its products. The goal was to educate customers about the cuts, give them the basics, and inspire them to be adventurous in the kitchen while enjoying the product.
Lucinda and I initially connected for Moink because her original business was in organic produce delivery and I knew she would have the scoop on where I might find a good meat delivery company. I reached out to her a few months before Moink launched and my timing was perfect… not only did I find an awesome company, but with Moink about to go live, they’d need photos! Win/win!
Suzanne teams up with the recipe developer and lead food stylist, Ashley Strickland Freeman, to develop each magazine, often with a theme or specific cuts in mind. Once the recipes are approved, the articles and educational content are conceived, and then from there a first draft of the magazine is pulled together which defines what they need to capture on camera. The convenience of having your meats delivered right to your door is great, but knowing what to do with them can be intimidating. The Moink-ed magazine offers inspiration on how to help people move their products from the freezer to the dinner table.
The magazine has a nice mix of educational content, quick and easy recipes, and we always like to include a doozie at the very back for those looking to throw themselves into a challenge sure to satisfy their taste buds.
In March 2019, Lucinda Cramsey appeared on Shark Tank asking for $250,000 for a 10% stake in her meat subscription service, Moinkbox. Guest Shark Jamie Siminoff loved what Lucinda was doing and offered her $400,000 for a 20% stake in her company. Lucinda accepted Jamie’s offer and the company has been growing ever since.
Suzanne and the food stylist work side by side in Suzanne’s studio in Florida, getting through an average of five shots a day over the course of a couple of weeks. While a shoot with this many moving parts is a bit like running a marathon, Suzanne considers it a labor of love and appreciates the creative control the client provides her team.
I get the set, lights, and camera in order starting with a stand-in to dial in lighting and set details so that when the food is ready we can capture it at its best. The food stylist, meanwhile, is constantly chopping, slicing, sauteing, grilling, baking, roasting, whipping, etc. Finishing one recipe for the set, while prepping for the next. Once we get it exactly the way we want it the stylist heads back to get a jump on the next while I fire off a few extra shots.
I prefer to go into a shoot well prepared, so I frequently sketch out each shot in Procreate on my iPad. This helps me plan out the set, the props, and styling/garnishes. We can always shift direction on set, but at least we have a good starting point to aim for.
In preparation for summer, Moinkbox made an effort to create an animation for as many dishes as possible to promote new recipes through their social media. With summer favorites like beer cheese brats and blackened salmon nachos topped with sour cream and salsa, these beautifully designed GIFs are sure to entice the palette.
In 2021, summer was coming and things looked like we were all going to get back to normal finally so we thought we’d go several steps further to help celebrate the return of community. After getting the hero shot, we snapped a few quick 10-20 frame animations before wrapping the sets. Most of the animations were dining moments and we provided them to Moink to use in their social media stories to help promote all the amazing summer recipes.
With a background in fine art and a focus on illustration, pre-press, web design, and graphic design, Suzanne wears many hats in the industry. She continues to work for Moinkbox, producing new issues of the magazine. For anyone just starting out, her advice is to never underestimate the value of a good team.
Having people around you that you can rely on and who share your creative vision/work style is infinitely valuable in getting a massively complex project done and done successfully.
Credits
Recipe developer and food stylist: Ashley Strickland Freeman
Food Stylist: Miki Knowles
See more of Suzanne’s images on Instagram.